Kay-Dian Smith, CB Group Customer Service Coordinator
In commemorating Global Volunteer Month, the CB Group celebrates everyday people whose incredible feats of kindness and volunteerism mark them as life-changing heroes.
April is celebrated as Global Volunteer Month and the CB Group, through its annual internal rewards program, has highlighted employees who have shown their selfless spirit by volunteering or supporting a cause.
This special recognition comes with a personal reward of $100,000 and $200,000 to further reinvest in their community actions or donate to a charity of their choice.
Peter Minott, CB Group Production Supervisor
Laureates Kay-Dian Smith and Peter Minott lead by example when it comes to shaping the minds of tomorrow.
Smith operates a homework help center in a disused elementary school in his community of Waltham Park in the corporate sector. The building had a significantly damaged roof, but she was able to replace it thanks to the CB Group’s internal rewards program.
The Customer Service Coordinator said she felt compelled to take action when she saw that children in her community were not getting the kind of help and guidance they needed.
She aspires to organize personal development workshops for children in her community. These will include discussions on careers, hygiene, conflict resolution, as well as mock job interviews.
Roxanne Isaacs, CB Group Community Outreach Coordinator
“Not everyone may have the same passion, but maybe you like teaching or cooking, but there is something in us and it is very important that we use our knowledge, talents and skills to help someone else,” Smith said.
Minott, who works as a production supervisor during the week, has been providing solutions to the disruption to regular classes due to the pandemic for children in his hometown of Palmers Cross, Clarendon.
The Ointed Word of Hope and Truth after-school program is for students ages 5-10 and focuses on math, science, and information technology, as well as life skills like reading and writing .
Thanks to the reward from the CB Group’s internal rewards program, Minott said he was able to buy tablets and laptops so that up to 10 children can now have the devices to use during school hours.
CB Group Hero Award winner Kay-Dian Smith (left) helps siblings Ishmael and Rihanna with homework at her homework help center in the Waltham Park area of St Andrew.
“When you think about volunteering, a lot of people really want…but they want to do this and do that and think big…but volunteering isn’t about how much you can give, it’s about the fact that you gave in the first place” , said Minott.
Community Outreach Coordinator Roxanne Isaacs is another hero within the CB group who does impactful work. She is part of the caring team, Friends Who Care, who spends her time giving back to three of the Mustard Seed communities – Dare to Care, Martha’s House and Matthew 25:40 – in various ways.
Donating goods and household appliances, they offer their time and attention to the residents of these establishments.
The 11-person Friends Who Care team formed 10 years ago for an Easter project that has since become the gift that keeps on giving.
Peter Minott (center) and students who are part of the Anointed Word of Hope and Truth after-school program were all smiles after a successful lesson.
Isaacs said the support from the CB Group has enabled much-needed infrastructural assistance at all three homes.
“Oh my God, [volunteering] is a great feeling! Isaacs exclaimed. “It’s fulfilling and gives you that joy and that sense of pride to know you’re part of something that has an impact and also to see the joy on the faces of the people you help.”
Celebrating the company’s volunteers, CB’s Talent Development Manager, Shannon Jones, said: “The CB Group is about giving back, it’s a big part of our culture of sustainability where we focus on empowerment of people through social good.
“So we are thrilled to support and celebrate these three high profile volunteers who have captured the spirit of our culture and what it means to truly make a difference in their communities. »
Shandreta Kay (centre), Senior Mustard Seed Communities Supervisor, with CB Group’s Friends Who Care team, (left to right) Newton Brown, Nadine Hayden, Charmaine Fleming-McKoy, Roxanne Isaacs and Machel Wedderburn.
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